Secondment of Martín L. Castro from Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC-CONICET), Argentina to Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN), Poland

Training in the operation and maintenance of remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s)

by Martín L. Castro (Support Staff for Research and Development Career (CPA) from CADIC-CONICET, Argentina)

During my secondment I collaborated with the Marine Physics Department of IO PAN, under guidance of Dr. Miłosz Grabowski, focusing on training in the operation and maintenance (O&M) of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).

I could dive deep in the technical foundations of underwater robotics by systematically studying ROV (SAAB Sea Eye Falcon) and AUV (L3Harris IVER 2) bibliographies, technical manuals, and specialized software. Under the guidance of the IO PAN team, I made progress in performing practical maintenance tasks, such as pre-dive checks and mechanical adjustments and repairs.

A cornerstone of the training was participating in a research cruise (Aquarius, MUNIMAP, and EROVMUS projects). I assisted in the ROV launch, recovery, and piloting at various depths, successfully addressing challenges related to poor visibility and complex seabed structures, gaining comprehensive knowledge in diving planning, risk assessment and deck manoeuvres. During the cruise other oceanographic tasks (CTD/Rosette casts, multicore sediment sampling, plankton net tows) were performed, representing an excellent opportunity to share methodologies and experiences from our work in the Beagle Channel.

Furthermore, I visited the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), where Deep Sea Ecology and Technology department staff provided insights into their cutting-edge technologies and ongoing projects. I also attended the post-campaign meeting organized by Kerstin Jerosch (CoastCarb Expedition Sigma II to the Southern Patagonian Fjords), and it was very interesting to learn about their findings and technology used to collect data.  

This secondment was an exceptional professional and personal development experience. It successfully equipped me with advanced practical skills in underwater robotics that are directly transferable to my role at CADIC as Professional Technician, since we recently acquired a deep-sea ROV. The collaborations forged with IO PAN and AWI are invaluable and are expected to lead to tangible future joint research initiatives in the Subantarctic region.